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The International Organization for Standardization, most commonly referred to as ISO, is a nongovernmental, independent organization made up of members from 13 countries. Its purpose is to provide industries with standard specifications for quality control measurement. The international standards cross borders so that product, service and informational industries can more efficiently do business.

Contents

Companies purchase checklists from ISO.org and pass them along to their managers. There are checklists to cover every aspect of the business, from human resource methods, to quality control, purchasing and inventory processes, improvement measurements and management styles. As managers go through the checklists, they either check off an item as completed or place it in a “to-do” list. Once the checklist is completed, the company earns the ISO 9000 designation it desires. Some examples of questions asked on the lists include: “Has the organization established, documented, implemented, maintained a quality management system and continually improved its effectiveness…?” and “Are documents required for the quality management system controlled?” “Are quality objectives measurable?” and “What procedure describes how customer feedback is gathered and presented?”

Instructions

The ISO 9000 checklists provide a way for companies to create business models to meet the international standards of quality acceptable by the ISO community. The checklists are available for each phase of the process. The family of ISO 9000 standards addresses various issues regarding quality control. The ISO 9001 is the only ISO that provides certification to those who meet the requirements on the checklist for a quality management system. The ISO 9000 checklist covers the basic language and concepts of the standardization. An ISO 9004 checklist gives managers a list of steps to make companies more efficient and effective, and the ISO 19011 provides the list for an audit.

Guiding Principles

The ISO 9000 checklists are designed to make companies more customer-focused. They are geared toward motivating management to maintain the high standards achieved in the initial ISO 9000 criteria. The checklists help internal auditors keep companies on track as improvements and growth occur. When others do business with an ISO 9000 company, they are assured that business follows the guiding principles of consistently high quality services and products.

Trust

By standardizing the expectations of top-notch companies, the ISO organization has made it easier for international companies to do business with each other, reducing the risk they take when doing business with new vendors. Businesses trust the ISO 9000 designation that companies achieve by following the checklists they purchase through the ISO organization. To maintain that trust, the ISO governing body continually updates and revises its checklists to keep up with economic, industrial, technological and social changes.

Internal Audits

Internal audits can be performed by an independent outside auditor or by internal employees who understand the checklists and their applications. Managers and supervisors are quizzed on the use of the checklists and how closely they are followed. Auditors check to ensure managers have access to checklist updates and are given timelines in which they must get their departments up-to-date with checklist requirements. Company strategic planning efforts and organizational goals for improvement are based on the findings of the ISO 9000 audits.

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About the Author

Linda Ray is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years reporting experience. She's covered business for newspapers and magazines, including the "Greenville News," "Success Magazine" and "American City Business Journals." Ray holds a journalism degree and teaches writing, career development and an FDIC course called "Money Smart."